A basement that is dry all summer and damp by November is a clue that the water is coming from outside, when the ground is soaked. We trace it to the source, fix what sends water toward the house, and add drainage inside or out only where it is really needed.
Traced to the source, not just sealed over
Bellingham gets about 35 inches of rain a year at the airport, and about half of it falls between October and January. November is the wettest month on average.
Before anyone sells you an interior drainage system, it is worth looking at the obvious things. The EPA tells homeowners to fix plumbing leaks, keep gutters clean and repaired, and make sure the ground slopes away from the foundation. A downspout emptying at the base of the wall, or a garden bed that has crept up and now slopes toward the house, can put a lot of water exactly where you do not want it. On a hillside lot, the runoff from above can do the same.
Sometimes fixing those is the whole job. Sometimes it is the first half, and the basement still needs drainage to carry away the water that reaches the walls and floor anyway. Either way, you should know which parts of the quote deal with the cause and which deal with the symptom.
Basement waterproofing is a smaller part of what we do than crawl space work. The thinking is the same: find the water, fix the source, then manage what is left.
Damp patches, white staining and trickles down the wall after a long rain. The International Residential Code requires foundation walls that hold back earth around below-grade interior spaces to be dampproofed, and calls for waterproofing instead where a high water table or other severe soil-water conditions are known to exist.
Puddles along the edge of the floor or water coming up after a storm. One interior approach described by Iowa State University Extension is to remove a strip of floor along the wall and lay drain tile in gravel, sloped to a sump.
Short downspouts, clogged gutters and ground that slopes the wrong way. The DOE's guidance is to carry downspout water to sloping ground more than 5 feet from the foundation, or to an underground system more than 10 feet away.
We keep water out of basements and crawl spaces. Some problems that look like a wet basement belong to someone else, and we will tell you when we see one:
Walls that are bowing, leaning or cracking in a way that suggests movement, and footings that are settling, go to a structural engineer before any waterproofing is done.
We do not lift or level houses.
Drying out a basement is not mold removal. The EPA says water-damaged areas should be dried within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth, and that porous materials may have to be thrown away if they become moldy. If mold needs removing, we will point you to a mold remediation company.
If you are finishing a basement, it is a good time to test for radon. Washington's Department of Health says the only way to know a home's level is to test, and encourages contacting a certified radon mitigation company if it is elevated.
We walk the outside of the house: gutters, downspouts, grading, window wells and anything built up against the foundation. The International Residential Code calls for finished ground to fall at least 6 inches within the first 10 feet away from the foundation. We check whether yours does.
Where the stains are, when they appear, and whether the water shows up on the walls, on the floor or both.
Outside fixes come first when they will help: downspouts carried away from the house, grading corrected, water directed away from the walls. Where drainage is needed, we explain whether it belongs outside along the footing or inside under the floor, and why.
Every drain needs an outlet. The DOE lists daylight, a drywell, a storm sewer or a sump pump, with daylight outlets at least 10 feet from the foundation. We plan the outlet before we dig.
After every rain, only in big storms, or only in late fall and winter? When it happens is one of the best clues to where it comes from.
We look at the walls and floor inside, and at the gutters, downspouts and grading outside.
If the problem is roof water and grading, we say so and quote that. If drainage is needed, we explain the options and what each one involves.
Downspouts and grading are usually done first. They are often the least disruptive part of the work.
Exterior drains along the footing or an interior drain under the floor edge, run to a sump or another outlet.
We run water where we can to check the system and walk you through how it works.
Waterproofing is really water moving. Whether the drain runs outside along the footing or inside along the floor, the water it collects has to go somewhere that is not back toward the house.
The DOE describes a footing drain as perforated pipe laid perforations down beside the footings, never on top of them, in a trench with at least 6 inches of washed gravel wrapped in landscape fabric. It can drain to daylight, a drywell, a storm sewer or a sump pump. A footing drain can discharge into a sump pump set in the basement floor, which then pumps the water to daylight or another suitable outlet. Roof water from the downspouts goes in its own line, kept separate from the foundation drain.
In Bellingham, groundwater, stormwater and other drainage water are generally not allowed into the sanitary sewer without the City's specific approval, so we never tie a sump pump or footing drain into your sewer line.
We route sump and drain water away from the house to an approved outlet, and we check with the City before any connection to the storm system or any work in the street right-of-way. Some projects need a permit, especially when they add a sump pump, new wiring, drain lines or an exhaust fan, so we check with the City of Bellingham or Whatcom County before work starts and pull any permits the job requires.
The price of basement waterproofing ranges widely, because the fix ranges from extending a downspout to digging along a whole wall. The things that move the number:
Roof water and grading problems can be simpler to fix than water coming up through the soil.
The interior approach Iowa State University Extension describes means removing and replacing a strip of floor. Exterior drainage means digging down to the footing.
Very wet sites may need drain tile under the floor or exterior drains as well as interior work.
Whether the water can drain to daylight or needs a sump pump to lift it out.
Finished walls, flooring, decks, patios and landscaping along the foundation all add work.
Book a free inspection and we will tell you what the house needs and what it does not.
We do not lead with the biggest system. A wet basement is stressful, and that makes it easy to sell someone an interior drainage system when a downspout and a bit of regrading would have done. We look at the cheap fixes first, and we tell you if they are likely to be enough.
We separate cause from symptom. Your quote will say which parts stop water reaching the house and which parts deal with the water that still gets in, so you can decide what to do now and what can wait.
We are straight about the edges of our work. If a wall shows signs of movement, you hear that it needs a structural engineer before anyone waterproofs it. If there is mold to remove, you hear that it needs a mold remediation company.
And we plan the outlet. A drain that empties beside the foundation, or into a pipe where it is not allowed to go, is not a fix.
Warranty details are confirmed in writing with your quote.
We are only just starting to collect customer reviews. As they come in, they will appear here in full, in our customers' own words.
It depends on where the water is coming from and what is around the house. Outside work deals with water before it reaches the wall: downspouts, grading and a footing drain beside the footings. Inside work, such as a drain laid in gravel along the edge of the floor and run to a sump, deals with water that reaches the basement anyway. Very wet sites can need both. We start outside, because it can be the simpler fix.
It means water is collecting under the house, and the job is finding out where it comes from. The first things to check are the ones sending extra water toward the house: downspouts that empty near the wall and ground that slopes the wrong way. If that is not the answer, Iowa State University Extension notes that very wet sites may need drain tile under the floor or exterior drains, not just along the walls.
Start outside. Clean and repair the gutters, carry downspout water more than 5 feet from the foundation onto sloping ground, and make sure the ground falls away from the house. Those are the simplest fixes on the list, and sometimes they are enough.
That depends on why it happens. Start with roof water and grading close to the house, which the EPA lists among the moisture sources homeowners should control. If outside fixes are not enough, drainage to a sump that pumps the water to a suitable outlet is one next step. If the basement has standing water now, our wet basement cleanup crew can pump it out and remove wet materials first.
Check your policy before counting on it. Washington's Office of the Insurance Commissioner says a homeowner policy will not cover flooding, which needs separate flood insurance. One state insurance regulator notes that seepage through a foundation wall or floor is often treated as a maintenance issue. Coverage varies widely, so read your own policy and ask your agent.
There is no useful average, because the job can be anything from a downspout extension to drainage along every wall. The price depends on where the water comes from, whether the work is inside or outside, how wet the site is, and where the water can drain. After a free inspection we can tell you what it needs and what it does not.
We fix wet basements across Whatcom County: Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden, Blaine, Everson, Sudden Valley, Birch Bay, Sumas, Deming and Custer.
Ground and walls lined and sealed, with the moisture source fixed first, for crawl spaces that should be part of the house.
New ground cover, lapped, taped and run to the walls. Can be all a well-drained vented crawl space needs.
New pits, replacement pumps and discharge lines that take the water somewhere it is allowed to go.
Footing drains, yard drains and downspout lines that keep water from reaching the foundation.
Fallen, wet or rodent-soiled insulation and old plastic cleared out so the space starts clean.
Floor or wall insulation, chosen to suit whether the crawl space is vented or sealed.
Sized for the space and drained properly, for sealed crawl spaces that still run damp.
Tell us when the basement gets wet, where the water shows up and which town you are in. Photos help a lot.
We will be in touch to book a time to look under the house. If it cannot wait, call (360) 555-0163.
Nothing was sent. Please call (360) 555-0163 and we will set up your free inspection.